According to the literature, 30–50% of hospitalized patients are malnourished. Malnutrition is reported in about 84% of the cancer patients. Malnutrition negatively influences patients' prognosis and quality of life. This problem is so important that it has been proven that malnutrition is related to worse outcomes in patients in all hospital units, and it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospital stay, and increased health care costs. It has been reported that impaired nutritional status is associated with higher perioperative morbidity following surgery and lower survival in cancer patients. In surgical patients, malnutrition is associated with a higher number of infections, delayed wound healing, impaired blood clotting, and vessel wall fragility, and generally a higher number of postoperative complications following surgery, which are related to prolonged duration of hospitalization.

It is known that malnutrition is related to the basic disease and numerous comorbidities, including diseases of the digestive, circulatory, respiratory, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems. It is also known that malnutrition is associated with deteriorated humoral and cellular immune response. Systemic inflammation is considered a significant indicator of a worse prognosis in patients.

It should be emphasized that both invasive (such as surgical procedures) and conservative medical (such as drugs) treatment can lead to further deterioration of the nutritional status of hospitalized patients. Malnutrition can be successfully treated to improve clinical outcomes. In order to treat malnutrition, it should be properly diagnosed, but it tends to be underdiagnosed and inappropriately addressed. Proper assessment of nutritional status allows the appropriate nutritional therapy in order to support the care of hospitalized patients.

Basic nutritional screening involves anthropometric parameters with body mass index (BMI) and others (fat mass, waist-to-hip ratio, muscle strength), medical history concerning weight loss, and biochemical parameters (including the Prognostic Nutritional Index). Most frequently used standard nutritional screening tools involve the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), Nutritional Risk Score 2002 (NRS 2002), and Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST).

The aim of this Research Topic is to assess the nutritional status of hospitalized patients in different hospital units, to assess the impact of the nutritional status on the treatment outcomes and patients’ prognosis, and to estimate the influence of nutritional interventions on the patients’ courses.

We invite original research, review articles, clinical trials, and case studies that contribute to advancing knowledge in this vital area of healthcare.

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Nutritional Status and Nutritional Support in Hospitalized Patients